May is Bike Month

A few lovely things that celebrate the beauty of human-powered transportation:1950 Barra Randonneur Bike Print (I want.)
Hand Carved Tandem Bicycle Stamp
Sushi Dish Set with Blue Bicycles

Thank goodness for fenders

Another rainy day. The light was gray. I slept in late. Had small bowl of soup for lunch, and a slice of cake left over from my baby sister's 18th birthday. Dressed. Slipped on my rain pants, my rain coat, the wide-brimmed hat that Aaron wears when we hike.

What I love about riding in the rain is the sound it makes on the river. Watching the beads of water drop from the brim of my hat. The way it makes me feel quiet inside. The birdsong that I would miss on a hot afternoon.

And then, just before I reached town, the rain stopped and the sun came out. Water rushed into the storm drains. I rode through the puddles. I listened to geese on the river. The world was as tangy and green as a Granny Smith apple. Everything shone with rain. The lilac bushes were heavy with it.

Joy Ride

One of the things I love most about riding my bike is that I feel intimately connected to the weather and the sometimes subtle changing of the seasons. If it rains, I get wet. I feel the cold spots on the trail where there's little sun during the day. Usually I must press against the wind, but today it's blowing from the southeast, so it felt pleasantly warm and didn't hamper my commute.

It's amazing how quickly the woods fill with green. Only weeks ago they seemed quite brown and barren. Then small white flowers cropped up among the dead leaves - thousands of them spreading across the ground. Then the flowering trees and shrubs - delicate pink and white blossoms. And now the lilacs are blooming, as well as purple flowers on tall stems and a multitude of dandelions. The spaces between trees are filling with green, and the rapid change makes my ride seem so much shorter, because I am constantly looking around me.

Today I saw, across a narrow corn field, a wild turkey tom displaying to a rather uninterested looking hen. It seemed like such a perfect Midwestern scene, and I would have missed it if I had taken the car. In fact, if driving I would probably only notice that the grass and cedars were greening, and that the trees were just starting to leaf out. I would miss the progression of wildflowers, the turkeys, the geese on river islands, the ducks that fly across my path in the city park.

image via paradise garage

I'm also taking a new bike to work. Last weekend Aaron bought his first-ever grown-up bike, a cream Linus mixte, and he is generously allowing me to ride it in to work in the mornings, so that he may drop off the car for me after work and ride it home. It is so encouraging to see companies designing good-looking, affordable bicycles already decked out with fenders, a rear rack, and a bell. No gradient color, no loud graphics. Just simple, clean design. It's a bicycle that makes you smile when you ride it. And the gearing is so nice and low that even on three speeds, I can bike up all the hills on my route without too much trouble. Now we just need to save up for a leather saddle.

Speaking of feel-good bicycles, Schwinn is running a TV ad:



Bicycles really do make the world a better place.

(via Urban Velo)

Beautiful Bicycles

If I were to have a significant influx of disposable income, I would have a hard time stopping myself from hopping in a car and driving right to Chicago to pick up these beauties:

Abici Sveltina Donna

image from vogue.com

Perfect for the days when I just want to race along. I love the mixte frame, the angle of the handlebars, the color blue and the gorgeous pattern of the wheel spokes.

Abici Grandturismo Donna

image from Let's Go Ride a Bike

Perfectly impractical where I live because she only has one speed, but isn't she lovely? She makes me long for summers and sun dresses. Plus, she comes in an assortment of wonderful colors.

Azor Oma

image from Dutch Bike Seattle

My absolute favorite. Someday, I will have an Oma. Not only is she beautiful, but her features make her extremely practical. I load some groceries onto a front rack and give a friend a ride on the back. She has the potential to be a true car replacement. I look at this bicycle and my heart aches a little bit.

Many people will scoff at the prices of these bicycles, especially in a country that sees bikes as recreation or sport, not transportation, and that defines "value" as "costing as little as possible," with little regard for quality, ethics, or even aesthetics.

These bicycles are all made out of steel, are lugged (no ugly welds here), have strong wheels and durable tires, and comfortable leather saddles. Not to mention all of the practical extras on the Oma, like a full chaincase, skirt guard, wheel lock, dynamo lighting, and strong rear rack. They're classics, look beautiful, and will last a lifetime. They stand up against our throwaway culture.

I remember one of my dear friends telling me that she would buy a cheap backpack every year, because the amount of books she carried ruined them so quickly. She never seemed to consider that perhaps her backpacks only lasted one season because their cheap quality could not handle the stress she put them through. I've had the same good-quality backpack for about 10 years now, and while it's never had to carry a load of organic chemistry textbooks, it has survived high school, college, and trips abroad. Yes, the backpack cost more upfront, but I'm fairly certain that that price was less than what my friend spent on backpacks during the last 10 years.

My point is, quality costs more, and particularly for things you use everyday, the extra cost is usually worth it.

I know that many people cannot afford these bicycles. I can't either, right now, but if I start tucking away a little money each month, I could one day. Many people could, if having a beautiful, functional bicycle was a priority for them (Lovely Bicycle wrote an excellent post about affording beautiful bicycles - read about it here). What bothers me more is when people who could, with a little creative thinking, live car-lite or even car free, complain about the prices of a quality city bicycle. I would ask them to consider that they are paying for their cars in terms of car payments, repairs, gas, insurance, etc. Compared to that, the Oma is a steal!

I live in a rural area and so I depend on a car for many things. But in the summer, I try to minimize car trips by riding my bike to work or the grocery store (Aaron and I already have a date planned for next summer - ride our bikes to the movie theater!). It takes longer but I enjoy the time more and I spend less money on gas, feel better physically and emotionally, and hopefully contribute a little more beauty to the world.

Bike to School

In December, Angie of 4onaQuarter posted the following video, which follows a group of students from an Orlando high school where her husband teaches as they ride their bikes to school. This "bike bus" is one of the most inspiring things I have watched recently.

For many teenagers, the car is the epitome of a new independence and autonomy. It is also a symbol of sex and power. Our car culture is deep and widespread - it's in films, magazines, advertisements, the local drive-thru.

Yes, a car will get a teenager where he or she wants to go, but in a small town like mine, couldn't a bike do just as well for students living within city limits? I think of the jobs students take on to fill up their gas tank - that money could be spent on other things, or more wisely, saved. I think of the congested streets leading to the schools in the morning, and the newly expanded parking lot. And I think of all the youth that have died on our roads.

Certainly, cars have their place, and they are a necessity for families living in rural areas. But what about kids living a mile or two from school?

I obtained my driver's license a few years later than most of my classmates, and I remember getting many rides to school from my parents. I wish now that I'd ridden my bike to school - maybe I could have even inspired a few friends to join me.

It's a little dream of mine that instead of a large parking lot at the school, there was a line of bike racks. Not hidden by a side door, but at the front entrance. Bike racks full of cruisers and 10-speeds, bmx, hybrid, and mountain bikes, in all colors, with racks and baskets ready to carry home backpacks and other odd and ends. And maybe, instead of tearing out of the parking lot every afternoon, students would chat with each other while they unlocked their bikes. Hang out for a few minutes. Ride home with a friend.

If these high school students in Orlando can begin to take back their streets, I think it's possible almost everywhere.

High School Bike Bus from Keri Caffrey on Vimeo.

Read more about it here.

Snow Riding

November was incredibly mild, but over the last few days the temperature has dropped and we've had a dusting of snow, so it's beginning to feel like winter. I'm trying to get in as much riding as I can before the snow starts to fly and the trail is groomed for cross-county skiers.

After weeks in the shop awaiting her new tires, Turtle finally came home yesterday. The cream Delta Cruisers look amazing, and I'm so happy I held out for them. I also added a new brass bell, and gave the Brooks saddle a deep conditioning. She looks wonderful.
Aaron and I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and go for a short ride this afternoon. I let him ride Turtle, as we're still looking for a bike for him and I think he's getting a little tired of riding my sister's Trek. I think they make a very handsome pair.

I rode my new Raleigh Grand Prix. I've been admiring mixte frames and couldn't resist when this one popped up on Craigslist. I named her Juno, because of the little red road bike the title character rides in the film Juno (one of my favorite movies).
I've never ridden a bike so late in the year. I love riding through the light, dry snow over of the trail and seeing the variety of animal and tire tracks. It gives me the sense that even though the river valley seems so quiet and still, it is full of life and activity. In a car, we miss these little details.
If you look closely, there is nothing barren about a winter landscape.

Fall Collage

Tree reflections.

It was beautiful, sunny, and mild. There can't be very many days this nice left in the year.

For her birthday, she asked for a bicycle

Last month I began riding my bike to work as a way to be more environmentally friendly, active, and neighborly while saving a little money. In the process, I've discovered a new passion for cycling and the cycle chic movement. I also became enamored with the idea of owning a vintage English 3-speed. Just a few days later, a gorgeous Raleigh Superbe showed up on our local Craigslist. I think we were meant to be together.

She still has her original Brooks leather saddle, air pump and DynoHub lighting. She was ridden so infrequently that she also still has an original Raleigh tire on the front. I'll replace her tires soon (as well as send her in for a tune-up), but as the old ones still hold air I took a chance on taking her for a ride into work yesterday. Aaron borrowed my sister's Trek so he could ride along, and he waited patiently while I took a few photos.

A lovely commute.

Snow! (You'll have to excuse the slight blurriness - I was pedaling one-handed.)